Potential Utility of Supportive Psychotherapy for Medically Admitted Patients

The use of psychotherapy in inpatient settings is underexplored but shows promising benefits. This review summarizes the literature on its application in both inpatient psychiatric and medical units, with a focus on supportive psychotherapy as a potential modality for providing medically hospitalized patients with psychotherapeutic care. To further explore this, we piloted an acting internship in which fourth-year medical students provided supportive psychotherapy to medically admitted patients of the psychiatry consult-liaison service. The model proved feasible and anecdotally beneficial for patients. It underscores the need for further investigation into the role of psychotherapy, and particularly supportive psychotherapy, in the care of medically admitted patients.